The journey, a hypothetical.

[flappist]

You have to make a journey to a place that is a reasonable distance away and then come home. You are travelling by yourself and can drive your car or fly.

There are four different routes you can take if you don't fly. You have driven them all before so you know what to expect.

Route 1) 4 lane freeway, 110 speed limit the whole way, lots of speed cameras, highway patrol and traffic. Distance 600km. Time about 6 hours.

Route 2) Old highway, mostly 100km/h but quite a few small towns with 60km/h zones. Distance 450km. Time about 6 hours.

Route 3) Coastal run, mostly 60-80km/h with some 100km/h but lots of scantily clad swimers, tourists and other modded cars/owners for you to see and be seen by. Distance 550km. Time about 8 hours.

Route 4) Back roads, mostly 100km/h but hardly anyone except locals go there there and you are unlikely to see anyone let alone ones you don't want to see. Lots of smooth windy sections, long open straights but a couple of sections of dirt where you will get dirty and the odd stone chip and a couple of crappy slow bits. Distance 800km. Time....well that is up to you.

Flying) Return airfare on QANGINIGER $199.

So which one do you choose?

Freeway is quick and safe.
Old highway is shortest and cheapest on fuel.
Coastal has the best "scenery" to be part of.
Back road, no one knows you are there.
Fly, quickest and cheapest so you can hurry back to do more important things.

[pottery beige]

unable to travel at speed i deem safe and making donations to govco...

fly and hirecar....

[Fireblade]

1 or 2 if needed to be a quick trip for personal travel because I hate flying.
3 or 4 if I have no time constraints and want to make it an enjoyable trip.
Fly if its a work trip that I need to make.

Originally Posted by flappist

You are going to the destination for an overnight stop and coming back the next day. You are paying for everything.

With this in mind number 1 for me.

[EFFalcon]

100% depends on what i'm going to the destination for.

but if i was doing a return trip with the intention of it being a holiday, coastal run to destination, freeway home.

[flappist]

You are going to the destination for an overnight stop and coming back the next day. You are paying for everything.

[Lotte]

Route 2, it'd be the cheapest fuel wise, considerably enough to beat the time in the air.
Otherwise I'd fly. If it's going to be less than $100 between the two, flying all the way

[Burnout]

I'll go the back road every time; I'll take this:



& stop whenever/where ever I wanted.

[Ford_The_Win]

I am faced with the same decision every time I travel to visit relatives. Driving and flying cost the same - flying is much, much quicker but it means I am without a car which is more inconvenient. I can take the old highway and go as fast or slow as I like but the highway is in very poor condition and some sections are quite dangerous with 90 degree corners. It is also quite uncomfortable with the suspension heaving and writhing around underneath you, but you have the ability to shave lots of travel time off the trip. The freeway is a much smoother and more relaxing run but the speed limit is 110 for half the way and 100 for the other half, it takes almost an extra hour. It's suprisingly difficult to decide whether the smooth, safe but long run is better than the shorter, faster and more hairy run.

[gcg2503]

Option 1

Safer for the most part (assumption that the Old Highway is not dual carriageway)

Plus a 6 hour drive is a walk in the park. And you dont have to fluff around getting to airport and being stuck without a car on the other end

I have done this three times in 2011 (Melb - Syd 8.5 - 8.75hrs) for my landau build with another two return trips coming up in the New Year.

[Paxton]

Option one. Full iPod, full tank of Petrol, and Cruise Control.

[blackf6]

Really depends on how much time you have or how much money you have to spend. For example i am flying from MacKay to Brisbane return tommorow to pick up my son. I chose this route because. Fuel for the trip would of totalled around $400. and would of taken at least 12 hours drive there and 12 hours drive home split over 2 days. So i chose to fly to save time and money. But in answer to you op i would of taken route 1 as 6 hours drive isn't that far and easily done, only use probably a tank and a half juice too. Plus multi lane highway is alot safer too than the old highway, and i wouldn't bother adding 2 hours onto my trip time to go the scenic route or the inland route.

[TheSneakiness]

My choice was between option 1 and 5, I'd look for the most direct route to and from where I'm going. None of this stuffing round trying to do the tourist thing.

I chose 1 based on not having to rely on anyone for transport at the other end if I flew and being able to maintain the same speed the entire journey.

[Ben73]

Freeway or back road. Depends on where I'm going, why & what car I'm taking.

[Poetic Justice]

Over night stop?

I'd fly.

For whatever reason it may be, I'd probably be buggered come that night time if I'd just been in the car 6+ hours getting there.

[DJL351]

Number 4 please... to go.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Old highway. It a bit of all the other options rolled into 1.

[Rodp]

For overnight, fly. No brainer for me. If more than two days, 1.

[DJL351]

But what if:

The 4 lane Freeway has been cut to two lanes both ways; due to upgrade works and some clown with a caravan has jack-knifed and caused a 6 car prang. (turning the trip in to 10 hours)

and

QANRANGER stops all flights because of strike/dust etc.

This sees the Old Highway backup something crazy as everyone is trying to aviod the Freeway. Resulting in banks and banks of cars trying to pass 5-7 cars at a time because the front car is towing a small boat.

[vanman_75]

Fly everytime if price is right , but I'm reading this in Melbourne airport ...get to brissy this arvo ...and driving old highway back to rocky in the mornin as Christmas flight prices are through the roof ...and now I'm started you made me think of the rort that of parking has become more than a 3000 km flight ?

[Nikked]

If time was not an option, costal run for sure...sun roof back, windows down...

Had an awesome trip from Coffs to Evans Head this year, with stops at woopie and Yamba.

When the high way is finished it will be even better.

[Road_Warrior]

Here in Wait Awhile you're not going to be flying anywhere 600klm away without it costing you the price of a new G6E Turbo, so it will be option 1 for me (and usually is)

[smoo]

Backroad... on a motorbike (that can go faster than a flouro Falcodore).

[Franco Cozzo]

1 day trip isn't worth the hassle of driving, so I'd fly.

Or take a VLine VLocity train if there was the option

[Streets]

Old highway sounds nice.

[SEZ213]

Am I travelling peak or off-peak...if it's Christmas, I'll take the back road...

[z80]

Back roads and do it in less than 6 hours

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by flappist

You are going to the destination for an overnight stop and coming back the next day. You are paying for everything.

With that in mind its #1 for me. Get there, get home.

[2011G6E]

Highway...as the old saying goes, "a shortcut is the longest distance between two points"...just because it looks shorter on a map, or avoids towns, doesn't mean you can go faster...roos, narrow roads, slowing down for little towns all the time, the odd country cop who is bored and out looking for a catch of the day...

[falconnut]

Highways put me to sleep.

Old/Coastal and Backroads are much more fun.

[JC]

Originally Posted by flappist

You have to make a journey to a place that is a reasonable distance away and then come home. You are travelling by yourself and can drive your car or fly.

There are four different routes you can take if you don't fly. You have driven them all before so you know what to expect.

Route 1) 4 lane freeway, 110 speed limit the whole way, lots of speed cameras, highway patrol and traffic. Distance 600km. Time about 6 hours.

Route 2) Old highway, mostly 100km/h but quite a few small towns with 60km/h zones. Distance 450km. Time about 6 hours.

Route 3) Coastal run, mostly 60-80km/h with some 100km/h but lots of scantily clad swimers, tourists and other modded cars/owners for you to see and be seen by. Distance 550km. Time about 8 hours.

Route 4) Back roads, mostly 100km/h but hardly anyone except locals go there there and you are unlikely to see anyone let alone ones you don't want to see. Lots of smooth windy sections, long open straights but a couple of sections of dirt where you will get dirty and the odd stone chip and a couple of crappy slow bits. Distance 800km. Time....well that is up to you.

Flying) Return airfare on QANGINIGER $199.

So which one do you choose?

Freeway is quick and safe.
Old highway is shortest and cheapest on fuel.
Coastal has the best "scenery" to be part of.
Back road, no one knows you are there.
Fly, quickest and cheapest so you can hurry back to do more important things.

If I needed the car at my destination, then I'd take the car. Fuel cost would be similar to air fare for most of the routes.

I'd go main highway for convenience on the way up, old highway on the way back.